Rhinelander - Pat yourself on the back if you voted for the green and white. You helped get the Rhinelander Hodag one step closer to being the best mascot in the nation. The votes are in and the Hodag made it through round one.The mythical beast ran against four other Wisconsin mascots in the USA Today contest. It won with more than 80,000 votes. But round two won't be easy. Regionals feature an Illinois winner that got more than 675,000 votes. The Hodag also faces the Minnesota and Indiana winners.
Voting starts Wednesday at 10 a.m. We have a link to where you can vote below.The national winner will receive $2,000 for its athletic department. Second place will be awarded $1,000, third $500, fourth $250 and fifth $100.